HAMLET — Despite the Richmond County Board of Education's 4-3 vote on April 14 to rescind a study to close Ellerbe Middle School, a larger crowd showed up at the board's May 12 meeting to put an exclamation point to their previous support of keeping the facility.
Those recognized to speak in favor of retaining Ellerbe Middle included Brett Webb, Jennifer Beck, Debra Quick, Willa Spivey, Bill Webb, Daphne McFayden Bryant, Marcia Lambeth and Sierra McQueen.
(NOTE: The first 11 minutes of the board meeting are inaudible.)
Brett Webb, who spoke during last month’s meeting, said he appreciated the board’s action “because it recognized the concerns many in this community had about the direction and progress surrounding these discussions.”
“...we understand the district is facing real challenges …Funding pressures and declining enrollment have been building for years,” Brett Webb said. “But…we’ve also seen a growing number of proposals, concepts, cost-saving measures, and restructuring ideas being discussed.”
Ideas alone, he continued, “are not a plan.”
Brett Webb addresses the Richmond County Board of Education.
Screenshot from RCS YouTube
“Before this board moves toward restructuring, major changes or other long-term proposals, there first needs to be a clear plan for how the district intends to address the core issues of funding stability, enrollment, and long-term sustainability,” Brett Webb said. “A study without a defined purpose is not a plan. And a collection of ideas without priorities, goals, accountability and financial strategy is not a roadmap for this district.”
Brett Webb added that the board was elected to advocate for every child and family in the district.
“That means asking hard questions, exploring every reasonable funding option and partnership opportunity, and making sure every viable option has been evaluated before considering changes that could permanently impact schools and communities,” he continued.
An idea has been put forth to designate Ellerbe Middle School as a Solar Agri-STEM Magnet School. Mayor Lee Berry — who posted a video to Facebook earlier in the day encouraging attendance at the meeting — placed a poster advocating that proposal in front of the podium.
Ellerbe Mayor Lee Berry, right, carries a sign advocating Ellerbe Middle become a magnet school.
Screenshot from RCS YouTube
Willa Spivey said that magnet schools can attract funding, business partnerships and community investment, as well as grants that traditional schools can’t access, positioning the school as “a regional model for innovation.”
“Students who begin exploring solar technology at Ellerbe Middle School can later earn industry-recognized certifications through Richmond Senior (High School) or Richmond Community College,” Spivey said. “This prepares them for high-demand, technical careers immediately after graduation.
“Solar energy, agricultural technology and energy efficiency trades are among the fastest-growing sectors in North Carolina,” Spivey continued, adding that the median wage for solar installers is around $48,800.
At the center of the magnet school proposal, according to Bill Webb, is one priority: What’s best for the students of Richmond County.
Bill Webb said a magnet school supports career exploration, not career selection.
“Students are not being asked to choose a profession at age 11 or 12, they’re being given opportunities to explore emerging fields,see how technology connects to agriculture and energy, and build confidence in solving complex problems — skills that benefit them in any future path,” Bill Webb said.
Beth Bryant, a retired educator, described the facility as a "cornerstone of the community ... that deserves investment, not reduction."
“Students in Ellerbe deserve equitable access to education close to home,” Bryant said. Rural schools should not be viewed only through enrollment numbers, age of buildings and operating costs.
“Preserving the school would demonstrate a commitment from you, the board, to supporting all students and communities in the northern end of the county.”
Bryant urged the board to pursue alternatives that maintain EMS and invest in the future or rural education.
Marcia Lambeth, a retired teacher from Derby, addresses the school board.
Screenshot from RCS YouTube
Another retired educator, Derby resident Marcia Lambeth, noted that the Ellerbe schools "have always done more with less." She lamented that a consideration to close Ellerbe Middle "feels like we are being punished for a crime we did not commit."
“I am still trying to process the March 24 and April 14 Board meetings,” Lambeth said. “As I do, I keep hearing the words of Mr. Gerald Tillman, a custodian at Ellerbe Junior High School. He once told me, ‘Listen to what people say — listen more to what they don’t say.’”
Lambeth went on to thank the board members who voted against the study and those who voted to rescind the prior decision, and went on to describe issues with long-distance bussing to other schools.
“Our high school students have traveled long distances to school since the opening of Richmond Senior High School, and the negative effects of those long bus rides have been well documented — disciplinary issues, academic struggles, and even tragic loss of life,” Lambeth said.
“This is deeply personal to me because these were my students,” Lambeth continued. “There were three separate accidents — two students lost their lives while traveling, and another young lady was killed very early in the morning while waiting for the bus in the dark when a car slid off the road and struck her. These were children simply trying to get to school from our end of the county.Their lives were cut short, their families forever changed, and the world will never know what they could have become.”
Encouraging the board to keep the schools in Ellerbe kindergarten through eighth grade, Lambeth echoed sentiments of Brett Webb and Bryant.
“Please remember that you represent all of Richmond County,” Lambeth said. “Our community deserves to be treated fairly, not marginalized because of where we live. We contribute greatly to this county, and our children deserve the opportunity to be educated in their own community through grades K-8.
“We simply ask that you lead with fairness, compassion, and courage. Put yourselves in our shoes, remember the Golden Rule and your own first governing principle.”
That principle, which she mentioned earlier in her speech, is student success.
Yet another retired educator from the area, Jennifer Beck, said it appears some board members continue to focus on an EMS closure rather than exploring all options.
“Instead of saying, ‘We’re already bussing students in grades 9–12, so we’ll start with 6th grade,’ let’s say the opposite — because we’re already bussing 9–12, we are NOT going to start busing earlier grades,” said Beck.
“Our families and businesses deserve a transparent process, not one that feels like it’s already in motion,” Beck continued. “This is about trust and right now, the process matters just as much as the outcome.”
Alluding to a comparison made during an earlier meeting, Beck said there is no looming state takeover that justifies rushing the conversation.
“We are not in another county or state where leaders have proudly closed schools,” Beck said. “No, we are in Richmond County … where we can boast of a strong heritage of vibrant schools that are the very foundation of community development.
“Ellerbe Middle School is vital to the town of Ellerbe and to the entire county,” Beck concluded. “The community you represent deserves the opportunity to fully understand and weigh all options before any decisions move forward.”
(NOTE: The RO obtained copies of the prepared remarks from Brett Webb, Lambeth and Beck and may slightly differ from what was actually said during the meeting.)
Another lifelong Derby resident, Sierra McQueen, raised concerns about the length of bus rides in the event of the school's closure and resulting consolidation.
McQueen referenced a conversation with a Mineral Springs Elementary bus driver whose route is roughly two hours — and includes the communities of Norman, Mangum and Exway — with the last student being dropped off at home around 5 p.m.
“How does it make any sense to consolidate our school on the northern end of the county to another school that is an additional 18 minutes away by car with no additional stops?” McQueen asked. “Kids that have these long bus rides will be less likely to play sports or engage in afterschool activities if made to consolidate.
Despite the reprieve for Ellerbe Middle School, Richmond County remains one of a vast majority of North Carolina school districts facing funding and budgeting woes. Richmond County schools superintendent, Dr. Joe Ferrell, noted a list of some 29 suggestions - some of them from board members, and some from the community at large — to reduce the district's financial pressures.
Aside from possible school closures, items for lowering costs include: various staff reductions; consolidating middle schools' athletic teams to single all-county teams; elimination of high school sports that are not self-sustaining; increasing remote learning days; and, energy audits.
Possible school closures appear closer to becoming last-ditch considerations to save school dollars. The board is considering extra work sessions to shape the suggestions into clearer form.
A discussion ensued among members of the board about the possible closure of West Rockingham Elementary School and the dispersal of students in its 17 classrooms. As a partial solution, the board is eyeing the addition of four classrooms to the new L.J. Bell Elementary School — to be constructed on the present L.J. Bell site — and expected to open in August 2028.
The new school is projected to accommodate a "core" population of 600 students. Four additional classrooms would add some $2 million to the cost.
According to the project's architect, the most cost-effective way to add these classrooms would require demolition of the school's current auditorium, despite earlier plans to incorporate it into the new facility.
Board member Scotty Baldwin placed a motion to authorize the project's architect to demolish the auditorium to facilitate the construction of four new classrooms. The motion passed unanimously.
RO Managing Editor William R. Toler contributed to this story.
